Smarten up your holiday wish list with these gadgets

With the hectic pace of today’s busy lifestyles, is it really all that surprising that people everywhere are craving new smart technologies? After all, life basically demands that you save time and money wherever you can, and smart technologies utilized in your home deliver both. It’s easy, right?

Research shows one-third of Americans plan to buy smart home devices this season, and while you may not find much value in a “smart egg tray” (yes, they are real), the following devices can help you save time and money while increasing the functionality of your home.

Smart thermostats save money.

Few pieces of smart home technology can have a bigger impact on your home all year long than a smart thermostat. Honeywell’s Lyric T5 saves you energy by managing your home’s temperature for you.

Using geofencing, the Lyric T5 saves you money by putting the thermostat into energy-saving mode when someone leaves, and detecting when the first person is nearing the home to start making the home comfortable ahead of his or her arrival.

Smart lights – a bright idea.

Forgetting to turn the lights off when you leave a room or your home is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, your power company never forgets your energy usage, and this simple mistake will show up promptly on your bill.

Installing smart lights like Philips Hue light bulbs allows you to turn the lights off and on with your smartphone, meaning no matter where you are, reducing your energy usage and expense is as easy as flicking a switch. You can also schedule them to turn on, even when you’re not home, which gives the appearance of someone being home, increasing your home’s security.

This smart security camera does more than just pick up such noises and deliver smart alerts to your phone. It is also equipped to differentiate between sounds so you know exactly what has happened at home. This allows you to stay on top of things and keep an eye on your home no matter where you are.

Clean with smart technology.

Vacuuming isn’t at the top of your list when it comes to ways to spend your free time, so automating the process may just be the best holiday present of all.

iRobot’s Wi-Fi connected robotic vacuums, such as the Roomba 900 Series, are capable of cleaning and navigating an entire level of a home, recharging and resuming as needed until the job is done – all with just the push of a button on the robot or in the iRobot HOME App.

Wi-Fi connected Roomba vacuums can also be controlled by voice-activated commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices, making communicating with your Roomba a breeze.

A full fleet of smart sensors guide the Roomba around your home, making 60 decisions every second, traveling under furniture and around that clutter you’ve been meaning to pick up – when you finally have a free moment.